This is what we're like...B-side Brum song listing revealed

Well the votes are in, the debates have been had and a virtual album of Brum’s best musical moments compiled. At a star studded launch in Birmingham’s Glee Club here’s the selection that was unveiled:

Apache Indian – Arranged Marriage (1992)
Hailing from Handsworth, Birmingham, one of the earliest UK artists of Asian origin to make an impact on the singles charts.

Joan Armatrading – Love & Affection (1976)
Only UK Top 10 hit for award-winning singer songwriter, who settled in Birmingham as a small child.

Black Sabbath – War Pigs (1970)
Opening track from the band’s second album, Paranoid.

Broadcast – The Book Lovers (1996)
Title track of EP from Birmingham indie electronic band, a favourite of the late John Peel.

The Spencer Davis Group – Gimme Some Lovin’ (1966)
Number two hit written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood and since covered by the likes of The Blues Brothers and Olivia Newton-John.

The Devils – Barbarellas (2002)
Electronic pop band formed by two of Duran Duran’s original line-up, Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy, the track tells the story of the Birmingham club where they played many early gigs.

Dexys Midnight Runners – This Is What She’s Like (1985)
Twelve-minute track from the ‘comeback’ album Don’t Stand Me Down.

ELO – Mr Blue Sky (1977)
Number 6 hit taken from the album Out of the Blue and a favourite of Birmingham City fans.

Felt – Primitive Painters (1985)
Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser guests on this mid 80s indie favourite.

Fine Young Cannibals – I’m Not The Man I Used To Be (1988)
Top 20 single by trio formed by singer Roland Gift and two ex members of The Beat, Andy Cox and David Steele.

Soweto Kinch – Jazz Planet (2004)
Live favourite by Birmingham-based jazz sax player and rapper.

Laura Mvula – She (2013)
One of the standout tracks from Birmingham-born MOBO winner’s debut album, Sing To The Moon.

Musical Youth – Pass The Dutchie (1982)

Multi-million-selling number one hit which is a cover of two songs, Gimme the Music by U Brown, and Pass the Kouchie by The Mighty Diamonds

Ocean Colour Scene – The Day We Caught The Train (1996)
Number four hit from the band’s second album, Moseley Shoals.

Jocelyn Pook – Red Song (2001)
Haunting track from Solihull-born composer best known for her score for Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.

The Specials – Gangsters (1979)
Debut single by ska revival favourites from Coventry and first release by the newly created 2 Tone Records.

Steel Pulse – Handsworth Revolution (1978)
Title track from their debut album, which reached number 9 in the UK charts.

The Streets – Turn The Page (2002)
Opening track of Birmingham-born Mike Skinner's debut album, Original Pirate Material.

Torqux feat. Lady Leshurr – Blazin’ (2013)
Rapper/singer from Solihull who collaborated with duo Torqux on this track from their debut EP.

UB40 – One In Ten (1981)
Top ten single from band’s second album Present Arms; the title is a reference to percentage of the workforce claiming unemployment benefit in the West Midlands in the summer of 1981.

The Wonder Stuff – Caught In My Shadow (1991)
Top 20 hit from Stourbridge band’s third album, Never Loved Elvis.

You can watch/listen to all the winning tunes right here. 

No room for Jasper Carrots’s Funky Moped sadly but good to see a nice diverse selection. I’m assuming that the B-side Brum name refers to Brum and some of the places ‘beside’ it, after all how else could you include Coventry’s The Specials or Stourbridge’s Wonder Stuff? Excluding Duran Duran (who've sold the odd 100 million or so records over the past 35 years) is, for a 80s pop fan like me, frankly unforgivable but that’s the nature of lists like this (I got the distinct impression that The Specials' Horace Panter - one of the judges on the panel and also in attendance during the afternoon wasn't a fan...ahem).  

Vix (Fuzzbox) and Dan Whitehouse provided some fine live music during the event too, with Dan covering The Streets track and Vix Armatrading’s Love and Affection plus an acoustic Pink Sunshine. It would’ve been good to hear either of them tackle War Pigs but maybe next time eh? Hopefully if nothing else the national/international media will pick up on the whole B-side Brum story and it’ll focus attention on our musical contribution a little more, perhaps giving a much needed boost to the current generation of bands and artists along the way.

Along that vein here’s my own personal ‘new band’ (most tracks are from the last 12 months or so) virtual Brum album (NB: if they're going to do B-side Brum next year with a different panel selecting classic tunes perhaps they should also do a 'new' B-side Brum compilation of tracks from the past 12 months too? Just a thought...):

Goodnight Lenin – Old Cold Hands

Miss Halliwell – Allegedly Gory

Youth Man – Wide Awake

God Damn – Shoe Prints In The Dust

Chris Tye – Unassuming Start

The Dollcanoes – Us

Elephantine – Porcelain    

Boat To Row – Tightrope

Midnight Bonfires – Exhale

Dan Whitehouse – A Dream That’s Floating Out To Sea

Drakelow – Amber

Call Me Unique – The Wife

Mutes – M.P.D.G

Mistys Big Adventure – The Bigger The Front

Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam – AUTO

Tom Peel – Salt and Pepper

Dead Sea Skulls – I Wanna Buy A Rolex

Table Scraps – Bug

Katherine Priddy – The Old Tree

Bonus track

Dirty Old Folkers - BONUS